Skilled Wages

Solar installer salary: what solar installers actually make

Solar installers earned a median $25.55 an hour ($53,140 a year) in May 2025, across 31,350 jobs in the BLS employer survey. Pay by state and metro, the 20-year trend, and the union scale contractors must pay on federal work.

$25.55/hrMedian hourly wageUnited States, May data
$53,140/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$20.00 – $38.4510th to 90th percentilehourly range
31,350Jobs countedemployer survey

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025; prevailing wage as of 2026-11-13

How much do solar installers make?

The median solar installer earned $25.55 an hour, or $53,140 a year, in May 2025 according to the BLS employer survey of 31,350 jobs. Half earn more and half earn less; the middle 50% earn between $22.45 and $30.23 an hour.

Wage percentiles, United States$10$20$30$40/hrUnited States: 10th $20.00 · 25th $22.45 · median $25.55 · 75th $30.23 · 90th $38.45United States$25.55$20.00$38.45
Hourly wage percentiles for solar installers, May 2025. The bar spans the 25th–75th percentile; the line spans the 10th–90th.

The middle half of solar installers earn between $22.45 and $30.23 an hour. The top 10% earn more than $38.45 ($79,970 a year); the bottom 10% earn less than $20.00. The top 10% earn 1.9× what the bottom 10% earn.

Apprentice, journeyman and master solar installer pay

Pay tracks licence and experience: an apprentice or entry-level solar installer earns near the bottom of the range, a journeyman around the median, and a master solar installer, foreman or specialist in the top quarter. The union pay scale (journeyman base plus fringe) for every county is in the prevailing-wage section.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry level$20.00 – $22.45$41,600 – $46,700roughly the 10th to 25th percentile
Journeyman$22.45 – $30.23$46,700 – $62,870the middle half, around the median
Master, foreman or specialist$30.23 – $38.45$62,870 – $79,970the 75th to 90th percentile and above

Career-stage bands are an approximate reading of the wage distribution, not a BLS classification or licence requirement.

Solar installer pay by state

Median hourly wage, solar installersAK: n/aAKAL: n/aALAR: $21.55ARAZ: $24.60AZCA: $29.14CACO: $23.91COCT: $26.73DC: n/aDE: n/aFL: $24.30FLGA: $22.98GAHI: $33.83HIIA: $27.28IAID: n/aIDIL: $28.67ILIN: $22.18INKS: $24.04KSKY: n/aKYLA: n/aLAMA: $28.45MD: $21.84ME: $29.43MEMI: $22.63MIMN: n/aMNMO: n/aMOMS: n/aMSMT: n/aMTNC: $21.09NCND: n/aNDNE: n/aNENH: n/aNJ: $37.96NM: $23.31NMNV: $32.60NVNY: $27.00NYOH: $30.00OHOK: n/aOKOR: $31.88ORPA: $22.96PARI: n/aSC: $24.27SCSD: $20.37SDTN: n/aTNTX: $23.19TXUT: $24.03UTVA: $23.65VAVT: $23.79WA: $29.63WAWI: $23.93WIWV: n/aWVWY: n/aWYSmall statesCT $26.73DC —DE —MA $28.45MD $21.84NH —NJ $37.96RI —VT $23.79Median hourly wage, solar installers$22.96$23.92$25.88$29.37n/a
Median hourly wage for solar installers by state, May 2025. Click a state for its page.
Table
StateMedian $/hrvs US
New Jersey$37.9649% above
Hawaii$33.8332% above
Nevada$32.6028% above
Oregon$31.8825% above
Ohio$30.0017% above
Washington$29.6316% above
Maine$29.4315% above
California$29.1414% above
Illinois$28.6712% above
Massachusetts$28.4511% above
Iowa$27.287% above
New York$27.006% above
Connecticut$26.735% above
Arizona$24.604% below
Florida$24.305% below
South Carolina$24.275% below
Kansas$24.046% below
Utah$24.036% below
Wisconsin$23.936% below
Colorado$23.916% below
Vermont$23.797% below
Virginia$23.657% below
New Mexico$23.319% below
Texas$23.199% below
Georgia$22.9810% below
Pennsylvania$22.9610% below
Michigan$22.6311% below
Indiana$22.1813% below
Maryland$21.8415% below
Arkansas$21.5516% below
North Carolina$21.0917% below
South Dakota$20.3720% below
StateMedian $/hrCost-of-living adjustedAdjusted rankJobs
New Jersey$37.96$34.89#11,880
Hawaii$33.83$30.75#6420
Nevada$32.60$32.60#2100
Oregon$31.88$30.83#5360
Ohio$30.00$32.33#370
Washington$29.63$27.69#9—
Maine$29.43$30.34#760
California$29.14$26.32#126,830
Illinois$28.67$28.67#8—
Massachusetts$28.45$26.89#10620
Iowa$27.28$31.07#4180
New York$27.00$25.02#171,230

Solar installer wages over time

Median, nominal, 2012-2025Median, nominalMedian in 2025 dollarsSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$15$20$25$30201520202025$25.55Median, nominal$25.55Median in 2025 dollars
Median hourly wage for solar installers, 2012–2025, nominal and adjusted to 2025 dollars with CPI-U. BLS cautions against strict time-series use of OEWS: methods changed in 2021 and wage recording in 2022.
Table
YearNominal $/hrIn 2025 $Jobs
2012$18.22$25.554,710
2013$19.04$26.314,130
2014$19.24$26.165,170
2015$18.19$24.716,870
2016$18.87$25.318,870
2017$18.98$24.939,000
2018$20.52$26.318,950
2019$21.58$27.1811,080
2020$22.34$27.7911,490
2021$22.92$27.2316,420
2022$21.75$23.9327,760
2023$23.46$24.7924,510
2024$24.93$25.5928,280
2025$25.55$25.5531,350

Adjusted for inflation, the median solar installer wage changed by +3.4% over the last ten years and by -6.0% since 2019.

Are there more solar installer jobs than there used to be?

+182.9%Jobs since 201911,080 then, 31,350 in 2025
+356.3%Jobs over 10 years2015 to 2025, employer survey

The BLS employer survey counted 31,350 solar installers in May 2025, +356.3% compared with 6,870 ten years earlier and +182.9% since 2019.

Solar photovoltaic installers counted by the BLS employer surveySOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages010k20k30k40k20152020202531,350Jobs counted
Solar photovoltaic installers counted by the BLS employer survey, 2012–2025. Shaded bands mark survey method changes; BLS cautions against reading OEWS strictly as a time series.
Table
YearJobs
20124,710
20134,130
20145,170
20156,870
20168,870
20179,000
20188,950
201911,080
202011,490
202116,420
202227,760
202324,510
202428,280
202531,350

Job counts are BLS OEWS survey estimates built from three years of samples, so moves of a few percent from one year to the next are within the survey's margin. Self-employed tradespeople are not counted. Areas with fewer than 3,000 jobs or a large sampling error are shown as a single figure rather than a trend.

Where the solar installer jobs are

Solar photovoltaic installers: concentration by stateAK: n/aAKAL: n/aALAR: n/aARAZ: 2.0×AZCA: 1.9×CACO: 1.1×COCT: n/aDC: n/aDE: n/aFL: 1.5×FLGA: n/aGAHI: 3.3×HIIA: 0.6×IAID: n/aIDIL: n/aILIN: 0.8×INKS: n/aKSKY: n/aKYLA: n/aLAMA: 0.8×MD: 1.2×ME: 0.5×MEMI: 0.3×MIMN: n/aMNMO: n/aMOMS: n/aMSMT: n/aMTNC: 0.7×NCND: n/aNDNE: n/aNENH: n/aNJ: 2.2×NM: 1.9×NMNV: 0.3×NVNY: 0.6×NYOH: 0.1×OHOK: n/aOKOR: 0.9×ORPA: 1.0×PARI: n/aSC: n/aSCSD: 0.5×SDTN: n/aTNTX: 1.9×TXUT: 2.2×UTVA: n/aVAVT: 4.0×WA: n/aWAWI: 0.1×WIWV: n/aWVWY: n/aWYSmall statesCT n/aDC n/aDE n/aMA 0.8×MD 1.2×NH n/aNJ 2.2×RI n/aVT 4.0×Concentration (1.0 = US average)0.5×0.8×1.2×1.9×n/a
Share of all jobs held by solar installers in each state relative to the national share (location quotient), May 2025. 1.0 means the same concentration as the country as a whole.

Vermont has the highest concentration of solar installers, 4.0× the national share, followed by Hawaii (3.3×) and Utah (2.2×). The lowest is Ohio at 0.1×. Concentration says where the trade is a large part of the local economy; the job count says where the most positions are.

StateJobsJobs per 1,000Concentration
Vermont2500.84.0×
Hawaii4200.73.3×
Utah7700.42.2×
New Jersey1,8800.42.2×
Arizona1,2800.42.0×
New Mexico3400.41.9×
California6,8300.41.9×
Texas5,2700.41.9×
Florida2,9800.31.5×
Maryland6700.21.2×

Metros with the most solar installer jobs

MetroJobsMedian $/hr
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ2,190$33.72
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA1,930$28.65
San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR1,700$12.91
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX1,620$22.63
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX1,570$23.25
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ1,000$24.61
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX830$24.32
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA790$28.87
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA710$34.69
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA700$28.81

Highest-paying metros for solar installers

MetroMedian $/hrCost-of-living adjustedAdjusted rank90th pctJobs
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$34.69$30.01#1$46.68710
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$33.72$29.95#2$49.062,190
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$29.49$26.35#6$38.77550
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA$28.87$27.13#4$37.23790
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA$28.81$27.00#5$38.72700
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$28.65$25.22#7$41.031,930
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$28.05$27.34#3$42.60580
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ$24.61$23.82#9$37.881,000
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX$24.32$24.79#8$35.43830
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$23.25$22.55#11$30.231,570
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL$23.22$20.33#12$30.20510
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX$22.63$22.95#10$35.581,620
San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR$12.91——$14.091,700

Metros with at least 500 solar installers. Cost-of-living adjustment divides the median by the BEA regional price parity for the metro (2024, US = 100); the adjusted rank is among the 12 metros with a parity.

Union scale and prevailing wage for solar installers

Federal construction projects must pay the Davis-Bacon rate for each county. Where the rate comes from a union contract it is the local journeyman scale: base wage plus fringe (health, pension, training). Where it comes from a survey, it is often older and lower. This table summarises the Building-construction determination for solar installers in every state.

StateCounties with a union rateTypical union package (base + fringe, $/hr)Typical survey rateCounties with a rate
New Jersey100%$103.81—18/21
Hawaii100%$89.71—5/5
Washington97%$87.78$84.6239/39
Alaska100%$85.77—30/30
Connecticut100%$84.53—8/8
Massachusetts100%$84.36—14/14
Illinois100%$83.99—102/102
Delaware100%$83.43—3/3
Pennsylvania94%$82.64$45.0862/67
District of Columbia100%$82.56—1/1
Missouri98%$81.86$31.86115/115
Rhode Island100%$80.85—5/5

Source: SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations, current revisions, Building construction type. Not the official determination; see each state page for county detail and links to the official text.

Job outlook

+36.5%Projected job growth2025-35, BLS
4,200Openings per yeargrowth plus replacements
31,100Jobs in 2025BLS projections base, includes self-employed

The BLS Employment Projections program expects the number of solar installers to change by +36.5% over 2025-35, from 31,100 to 42,400, with about 4,200 openings a year.

Where the openings come from01k2k3kNew jobs: 1,200New jobs1,200Workforce exits: 600Workforce exits600Occupation changes: 2,400Occupation changes2,400
Average annual openings for solar installers, 2025-35, split into growth and the two kinds of replacement need. BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.10.

Of those openings, 1,200 a year come from growth in the number of jobs and 3,000 from replacement: 600 for people who retire or leave the workforce and 2,400 for people who move to another occupation.

Demand change - share increases as rising electricity demand and the growing use of solar power increases demand for residential and utility-scale solar panel installations.

BLS Employment Projections, 2025-35, factors affecting occupational utilization

BLS worker characteristics, 2025-35: typical education for entry: high school diploma or equivalent; related work experience: none; on-the-job training: moderate-term on-the-job training. The Occupational Outlook Handbook entry describes the work.

What each state projects

State labor market agencies publish their own projections on a 2024–2034 cycle. Illinois projects the fastest growth for solar installers at +169.5%; by openings, California (990 a year), Texas (730 a year), Florida (410 a year) lead. 24 states publish a figure for this occupation.

StateJobs, 2024Projected, 2034ChangeOpenings per year
Illinois200530+169.5%60
Nevada170400+127.0%50
Florida1,9203,670+90.8%410
Utah550940+70.2%100
Idaho90130+50.6%10
North Carolina7301,060+45.4%110
South Carolina310450+45.2%50
New Jersey1,2601,820+44.6%180
Texas5,0507,220+43.1%730
California6,9009,800+42.0%990
Arizona1,3901,950+40.6%200
Maryland660920+39.7%90

Source: state labor market information agencies via Projections Central, 2024–2034 projections. State base counts include the self-employed, so they run higher than the BLS survey count above.

Compare solar installer pay with other trades

Questions this page answers

How much do solar installers make an hour?

Hourly pay runs from about $20.00 at the 10th percentile to $38.45 at the 90th, with a median of $25.55. Overtime, per-diem and union fringe benefits are not included in these figures.

What does a starting or apprentice solar installer make?

Entry-level pay sits near the bottom of the distribution: roughly $20.00 to $22.45 an hour ($41,600 to $46,700 a year). Registered apprentices usually start at a fixed percentage of the local journeyman rate and step up every six to twelve months.

Which state pays solar installers the most?

New Jersey had the highest median at $37.96 an hour in May 2025, followed by Hawaii ($33.83) and Nevada ($32.60). Adjusted for cost of living the order changes; see the state table.

Are solar installer wages going up?

In today's dollars the median solar installer wage changed by +3.4% over the last ten years of data (CPI-adjusted). The nominal median rose from $18.19 to $25.55.

Is solar installer a good career?

By the numbers: median pay of $53,140 a year, a 90th percentile of $79,970, projected growth of +36.5% and about 4,200 openings a year. Whether it fits you depends on the work itself; this site only reports the pay and demand data.

Are solar installer jobs growing?

The BLS employer survey counted 31,350 solar installers in May 2025, +356.3% compared with ten years earlier and +182.9% since 2019. Looking ahead, BLS projects +36.5% growth over 2025-35 with about 4,200 openings a year, most of them replacing people who leave the occupation.

Which states will need the most solar installers?

By projected annual openings, the state agencies' figures put California (990 a year, +42.0% growth), Texas (730 a year, +43.1% growth), Florida (410 a year, +90.8% growth) at the top. Every state's projection is in the outlook table above.

Where are solar installers most concentrated?

Relative to the size of each state's workforce, Vermont has the highest concentration at 4.0× the national share, then Hawaii (3.3×) and Utah (2.2×). The largest absolute job counts are usually in the most populous states; see the map above.

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, SOC 47-2231 (Solar photovoltaic installers). Wages exclude overtime and benefits; job counts are survey estimates and exclude the self-employed.
  • Inflation adjustment: BLS CPI-U annual averages, 2025 base.
  • Cost-of-living adjustment: BEA Regional Price Parities, all items, 2024.
  • Prevailing wage: SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations, current revisions. Not the official determination.
  • BLS Employment Projections, national, 2025-35 (Tables 1.2, 1.10 and 1.12). Public-domain data; Skilled Wages is not affiliated with BLS.
  • State projections: state labor market information agencies via Projections Central (Projections Managing Partnership), 2024–2034, fetched 2026-10-05. State figures include the self-employed.